Most expats in UAE ‘ignorant of local culture’

The majority of foreigners in the UAE have no real knowledge of Emirati
culture and traditions, it has been revealed

Many expats in the UAE admit they know little or nothing about Emirati culturePhoto: Image Source / Alamy

By Leah Hyslop

1:00PM GMT 14 Feb 2012

A survey of over 2,000 expatriates carried out by the UAE's Ministry of Interior found that 60 per cent confessed to having only a "basic" knowledge about their host country's culture, with 12 per cent admitting that they knew “next to nothing”.

Although most expats (70 per cent) said that there were enough resources available to help them learn about the local culture, only a third said they set aside enough time to research it, while 11 per cent confessed they had never tried to learn at all.

This was despite the fact that the majority of expats surveyed (77 per cent) had lived in the UAE for more than a year, while more than two-fifths (43 per cent) had lived there at least five.

When it came to the UAE's religious holidays, only four in ten (39 per cent) said that they knew when they fell and what their significance was, while the majority (61 per cent) said they were "not really" aware, or knew just "some of the time".

Writing in the Ministry of Interior's magazine 999, where the results were published, Karen Remo-Listana and Emma Procter said expats' apparent "complacence" could go some way towards explaining why stories of foreigners being arrested for offences “from kissing to swearing in public flood the papers on a regular basis”.

“The survey data suggests a serious case of ignorance of the country's moral boundaries and thus explains the increasing incidents of expats falling foul of the law,” they added.

Briton Tara Rogers, managing partner of a PR company in Dubai, said that it was very easy for expats to become segregated, but that “over the years, the UAE has created a number of initiatives and programmes that offer expats an insight into Emirati culture, inviting us to share meals, visit mosques and learn about the intricacies of the culture.

“It is true that one might have to make an effort to seek them out but they are there,” she said. “I really think that on the part of expats it is a question of attitude and interest. If you are interested you will meet the most wonderful people. If you just stick to your own, you won’t – as simple as that.“